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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German phrase of the day: keine Ahnung

Asked a question and haven't a clue how to respond? Then use this phrase.

German phrase of the day: keine Ahnung
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

Why do I need to know keine Ahnung?

This widely-used phrase is the German equivalent of the English “no idea” so it’s a great expression to know in these very confusing times. The full expression is: Ich habe keine Ahnung! (I have no idea).

Where does it come from?

The feminine noun Ahnung comes from the verb ahnen, which means “to foresee” or “to guess” which can have a slightly sinister connotation and is often used to express an indistinct, dark sense of foreboding.

Put together with the pronoun keine, however, the noun Ahnung takes on a much more flippant meaning and is commonly used as a response to a question to convey complete cluelessness.

The term keine Ahnung is also part of a popular German saying which comes from the middle ages: von Tuten und Blasen keine Ahnung haben which literally translates as “to have no idea about tooting and blowing”.

The phrase has its origins in the fact that the work that was least respected in medieval cities was that of the night watchmen, who carried a horn as a warning. 

From the point of view of the townspeople, their only competence was to stay up at night, walk around and blow the horn in case of danger. If someone was not able to do even this, then they were good for nothing. 

How to use it:

Weißt du, wann er zurückkommt?
Keine Ahnung!

Do you know when he’s coming back?
No idea!

Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet.

I have no idea what that means.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Rechtsruck

The word describes a trend in German politics that has been worrying many foreigners.

German word of the day: Rechtsruck

The word Rechtsruck comes up from time to time in German politics. It was recently plastered all over the German headlines the day after the European parliamentary elections, for example.

If you want to discuss the mood of the country’s voters in broad terms, Rechtsruck is a good term to have up your sleeve.

What does it mean?

Der Rechtsruck (pronounced like this) can best be translated as a lurch to the right.

It describes a sudden shift in politics to favour right-wing parties, and in some cases, the right-wing extremist and right-wing populist parties like Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

Disillusionment with Germany’s centre-left government is peaking presently, and it appears that voters are increasingly turning to the right-wing CDU/CSU and the far-right AfD in elections and opinion polls.

This played out in the recent EU elections with the coalition parties losing 21 points between them, while the CDU/CSU emerged victorious and the AfD significantly increased their vote share.

READ ALSO: What do Germany’s far-right gains in EU elections mean for foreigners?

Beyond elections, ein Rechtsruck can also denote a more general embrace of conservative and right-wing ideas, such as a socially conservative stance on marriage or the LGBTQ+ community. This can play out as a lurch to the right within parties themselves, if more hard-line voices gain influence while moderates are left on the side-lines. 

Alongside Rechtsruck, you may also come across the term Rechtsrutsch, which means a slide to the right or a right-wing landslide. This version is more extreme, and usually means that a far-right party has unexpectedly made huge gains in an election.

Though it hasn’t happened too much recently in Europe, there is of course such a thing as a Linksruck: a lurch to the left in which left-wing voices suddenly gain influence in parties and elections. 

Use it like this:

Was ist der Grund für den aktuellen Rechtsruck in der deutschen Politik? 

What’s the reason for the current shift to the right in German politics?

Viele Ausländer machen sich Sorgen über den Rechtsruck in Deutschland. 

Many foreigners are worried about the shift to the right in Germany.

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